I almost booked the plane in those moments where she remained silent. I hated the fact that I couldn’t see her face, or look into her eyes, when I knew something wasn’t right.
“I had a shitty day, okay? I got in trouble during my first meeting. Ben came to see me for lunch, and then Kate wouldn’t stop calling my office.”
“Wait. Slow down.” I almost coughed on my words. “You got in trouble? What happened?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay. Tell me about Ben then.” I tried to pull any information from her that she would give me.
&nbs
p; “He tried to tell me that he needed closure between us. It was stupid, time-consuming, and ridiculous, but I’m pretty sure he’s over it. I think he just needed to get some stuff off his chest after running into me the other night. It’s no big deal.”
I started fuming at the idea of Ben being able to see her when I wasn’t around. I hated that he could be there when I couldn’t be. It burned me to no end. “He came to the studio?”
“For lunch. It was fine. Thirty minutes was all the time I gave him,” she announced sternly.
I huffed out an irritated breath. “Fine. What’s this shit about Kate? Why was she calling you?”
“Exactly, Daniel.”
“Exactly what?” I asked, slightly confused.
“Why the fuck is your ex-girlfriend, or whatever the hell she is, calling me at my office over and over again?” Her voice was laced with venom, and I couldn’t stand knowing that it was directed at me.
“I have no idea. What did she say?”
A disgusted laugh filtered through the phone line. “She actually asked me to stop seeing you. Said she couldn’t handle you breaking up with her. You won’t talk to her, and she’s desperate to talk to you. I don’t know, Daniel. She was hysterically crying during the whole phone call, talking about how she is so in love with you.”
I pulled at my hair as anger ripped through me. Kate had always been the mellow and laid-back type until I’d told her that it was over. She’d flipped her fucking lid that night, and she hadn’t been the same since. I’d blocked her number from my cell and instructed Serena not to put any calls from her through at the office.
“I’m so sorry, Elizabeth. I had no idea that she would behave like that. What do you want me to do?”
“What do I want you to do? What I want you to do is not have girls who are in love with you call me at my fucking job, Daniel! I don’t need this.”
“I’ll put an end to it.”
“It’s too late. It already happened. I didn’t have to deal with any of this crap until you came along. I can’t have this kind of stuff around me. I can’t. I won’t.” Her voice was firm, and I could sense her mind solidifying its stance.
I’d known I might have to deal with this from her, but I hadn’t thought it would be so soon. A woman like Elizabeth needed baby steps when it came to relationships. Even though we’d talked about it, things between us had been rushed. It was hard to stop something that felt this right.
“Don’t do this, Elizabeth. I know what you’re about to do. Don’t do it.”
“I need you to stay away from me, please. I need you to just leave me alone because I don’t know how to balance whatever this is and my job right now. I’m absolutely overwhelmed with everything I feel for you. I can’t lose focus, and you make me lose focus.”
I could hear it in her voice that it was too late. She’d already decided.
“Please don’t do this. I’m begging you not to do this.”
“It’s done.”
She breathed out a breath as I lost mine.
“We’ll work through finding the balance together. You think all these feelings aren’t new to me? I’ve never felt this way about anyone. You’re all I fucking think about all day long. That’s normal, Elizabeth!” I desperately tried to convince her. “It’s natural to feel like this when you’re crazy about someone.”
“Well, it’s not natural for me. I don’t like it. I feel out of control. I can’t be out of control when it comes to this.”
“Elizabeth,” I mumbled under my breath.